Reenforced compartmental receptacle



- 1,614 701 Jan. -l8, l927. M. L WEBSTER A HEENFORCED COMPARTMENTAL RECBPTACLE Filed Oct. 20, 1925 Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVIN L. WEBSTER, OF INDEPENDENCE, IOWA.

REENFORCED COMPARTMENTAL RECEPTACLE.

Application filed October 20, 1925. Serial No. 63,671..

My invention relates to reenforced compartmental receptacles, and the object of my improvement is to improve the structure of a shipping and display case, such as is made from hber board or other relatively flexible materials, to by appropriate trussing or structural bracing of certain parts, render the whole relatively stiff while remaining light and strong for the purposes to which it is devoted.

This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan thereof.

Minor changes in shape, dimensions, proportions or construction of my invention are nevertheless within the principles thereof.

The invention is structurally shaped and braced for use with relatively light materials, such as corrugated or other fiber board, for purposes of lightness with strength, and especially for inexpensiveness, so that it may be economically employed for shipping or displaying goods in, or contracted in dimensions for shipping or storage.

It is of a stepped compartmental structure, according to the principles of design shown in my Patent No. 1,460,185, dated June 26, 1923. Accordingly, this application relates specifically to an improvement in trussing or bracing the stepped parts of the device as hereinafter described, combined with a reenforcing of the opposite side walls thereof to stiffen the structure peripherally.

The device shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, is designed particularly to contain boxes or cartons of chewing gum or like receptacles for shipping and for display purposes. The compartments are therefore large and roomy and stepped in tiers rearwardly as shown. The side walls 1, vertical, parallel and shaped at their forward edges in stepped arrangement to conform to the stepped fronts of the compartments, are connected transversely by said compartment-a1 structures to be of great rigidness while light in weight, as made from plain or corrugated fiber board or other suitable material of low cost. To permit of contracting the structure in volume for shipping and storagepurposes, the side walls 1 a e creased obliquely at 3 to provide triangular flaps 2 which may be swung toward each other inwardly transversely as has been shown in my said patent, easel like, a spacing memher a being provided between the flaps 2 hung on flexible hinges 5 from one of the rear transverse angles of a compartment, as at the angle of meeting of the bottom 6 and rear wall 10 of the lowermost compartment 8. This member may be swung up as shown in Fig. 2, when the flaps 2 are spread apart,

to space and hold these flaps extended and upright when the device is set up for use. lVhen the member 4 is swung down and forwardly, it clears the flaps 2, so that they may be swung toward each other to contract the volume, when the device is to be stored or shipped.

The compartments are preferably formed by bending a single plate transversely to provide bottom parts 6, front and rear walls 9 and 10, truss members 12 or 15 set angularly to the front walls, and having continuations 11 or 16 carried'under and in contact with and cemented to the under faces of the bottom parts 6. This may be varied at the front wall of the lowermost compartment by carrying the truss part by bending it and directing it back horizontally at 17, thence upwardly at 18, and thence cementing itin contact with the bottom 6 at 19 for extra strength and to furnish a foot part in front to resist hard knocks and give firm footing upon a supporting surface. Similarly, the topmost compartment may be shaped like the other compartments, or like that shown in Figs. 1 to 3, with a trussed front wall at 12 13. The bottoms 6 are inclined forwardly, but may be otherwise if desired.

This method of trussing and bracing the walls 12 and 9 in front greatly strengthens them, for there the greatest liability to buckling exists when under load, but as it is desirable that the compartment walls be reenforced' all around peripherally, I have found it expedient to insert additional Wall plates 7 at the sides, cementing them upon the side walls 1 as indicated in Fig. 3 between the front and rear walls 9 and 10. The rear walls 10 are sufliciently braced by the continuations at 6 and 11.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A reenforced compartmental receptacle, comprising side walls, and a plate of bendable material bent at difierent places transversely into partially overlapped stepped compartments with side edges united to and between said side walls, certain of the compartment ends having the plate bent with a return tubular reenforcing' shape and. a plate part underlying the compartment to stiffen the bottom thereof.

2. Areenforced compartmental receptacle comprising side walls, a plate of bendable material bent transversely tubularly at certain places to provide reenforced compartment ends with parts underlying and secured to the bottom of the compartment to stiffen it at that location, and reenforcing plates secured upon and along the inner faces of said side walls between the ends of the compartments to stiffen the side walls between and at the angles of junction thereof with the end walls.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. MELVIN L. lVEBSTER. 

